Rowen: Landslide hit road will remain shut for at least six months

Peter Mc Fadden and Goronwy Edwards Looking at the land slide at the back of Rowen

Share

Get daily updates directly to your inbox

Thank you for subscribing!

Could not subscribe, try again laterInvalid Email

One of the main roads into Rowen will be closed for at least another six months following a landslide caused by the recent storms.

During one of the biggest storms in February, a landslide at Buckley Mill Road caused a tree to fall close to the mill house below and thousands of tonnes of earth cascaded into the river.

A part of the road collapsed, and had to be immediately closed. A diversion was put in place which is still causing a huge inconvenience to residents.

A bus service which travelled along the route has had to be cancelled, and the bus now terminates at Caerhun.

Cash-strapped Conwy County Council says it will cost at least £200,000 to reopen the road – money it just doesn’t have.

Resident Rosemary Chapples, who lives near the road closure, said: “We would just like to know when the work to remedy this appalling situation will start, as the plans seem to keep on changing.

“My carer has to walk three quarters of a mile from Caerhun to get to my house. She’s not very happy, especially when the weather is bad.

“My taxi fares are also a lot more expensive because of the detour. Many people are unhappy.”

Peter Mc Fadden and Goronwy Edwards Looking at the land slide at the back of Rowen

Caerhun councillor Goronwy Edwards: “I am disappointed to be told that funding for this urgent repair will not be available from the recently awarded £3 million storm damage Welsh Government funding .

“I am calling on Conwy Council to ensure monies can be allocated as soon as possible, especially with the tourism season ahead of us.

“Farmers and residents are also extremely inconvenienced by the road closure which is putting significant pressure on the alternative diversionary routes, which themselves are only very narrow country lanes.”

Cllr Mike Priestley, cabinet member for highways, said: “Neither the land nor the tree belong to the council, however the landslip has left us with a massive problem in that there is now a 12 metre sheer drop from the edge of the paved road to the river below.

“The road is obviously not safe and we had no choice but to put an emergency road closure and diversion in place.

“We understand this continues to cause problems for residents and businesses, as Buckley Mill Road is the main route into Rowen from the B5106 at Caerhun and is also a bus route.

“We apologise for this inconvenience and council engineers are working on designing a scheme that will enable us to reopen the road as soon as we can.”

He continued: “There are a few options we are looking at and none of them will be easy or cheap. A new retaining wall would have to start with foundations below the bed of the river and then be built up in stepped sections. The cost is likely to be at least £200,000 and the whole process of structural design, approvals and construction will take at least six months.

“Unfortunately, the funding we have received from Welsh Government to repair storm damage on the coast cannot be used for this scheme, so we will have to find other sources of funding.

“It will be tough to find that sort of money in this financial climate, and we may have to postpone some other highways projects as a result, but we will make the reopening of Buckley Mill Road a priority.”